02 December 2019 - 03 December 2019
IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria

Connectivity in the Digital Age. Digital Futures of Trade and Economic Cooperation in Eurasia

IIASA continues a series of thematic workshops in the framework of the research project “Challenges and Opportunities of Economic Integration within a Wider European and Eurasian Space”, which aims to discuss, analyze, and critically evaluate diverse issues related to economic cooperation between countries and blocks within the Eurasian continent, covering the European Union, the Eurasian Economic Union, Eastern Partnership, Central Asia, and their neighbors.

© Faithiecannoise | Dreamstime.com

© Faithiecannoise | Dreamstime.com

On 2-3 December 2019 IIASA organizes a Workshop on "Connectivity in the Digital Age. Digital Futures of Trade and Economic Cooperation in Eurasia". This meeting will bring together experts, policymakers and business representatives to discuss how to promote connectivity, strengthen economic ties and create new business opportunities through new technologies and digitalization.

Specifically, this meeting aims, inter alia, to overview available estimates of the effects of digital technologies on cross-border trade; to explore opportunities and challenges of the introduction of digital technologies in cross-border trade; to overview the digitalization dimensions of various trade agreements (e.g. USMCA, CPTPP, A-HKFTA, SLSFTA, KORUS FTA, EUJEPA, EUSFTA) and consider their applicability for the countries and blocks of the Eurasian region; to discuss the regulation of digital economy in international legal instruments; to consider various aspects of governance of digital technologies in the cross-border trade (especially in the aspect of big data governance); to review examples of successful digital cooperation in the region; to evaluate broad impacts of digitalization of trade on the society (especially due to reshoring and nearshoring); and to develop recommendations for deepening digital cooperation in the region.

Based on the workshop deliberations, we intend to produce a report that will be widely disseminated to expert and policy circles. Notably, the workshop deliberations will inform IIASA's keynote contribution to a side event we are organizing at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Bratislava on 5-6 December 2019.

Workshop concept note

Digitalization begins to transform the global and national economies. It significantly increases production efficiency and drivers economic growth. Digitalization changes how we answer major economic questions: what, how and for whom to produce. According to expert estimates, digitalization in a broad sense already creates up to 20%-25% of the global GDP. Platform economy alone constitutes 4% of the global GDP.

In response to accelerated development and introduction of new digital technologies including blockchain, 3D printing, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Things, countries adopt digitalization strategies to frame national priorities involving digital transformation. Governments attempt to create conditions enabling economic agents to take bigger advantage of digitalization and thereby enhance global competitiveness. One important area in this context is international trade and investment.

Challenges and Opportunities of Economic Integration within a Wider European and Eurasian Space

The meeting is a part of the IIASA project on "Challenges and Opportunities of Economic Integration within a Wider European and Eurasian Space", which has been providing an independent international platform for discussing and analyzing different aspects of economic integration in the region and plausible futures since 2013. To date, this project has enabled a dialogue of more than 300 recognized researchers, high-level policymakers and business representatives across the globe and has resulted in a number of reports.



PHOTOS OF THE WORKSHOP

Group photo





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Last edited: 18 September 2020

CONTACT DETAILS

Elena Rovenskaya

Program Director and Principal Research Scholar Advancing Systems Analysis Program

Workshop materials

RESEARCH PROJECT

Challenges and Opportunities of Economic Integration within a Wider European and Eurasian Space

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Schlossplatz 1, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
Phone: (+43 2236) 807 0 Fax:(+43 2236) 71 313